Charge controller distance

[Tombola]

Having discovered here from the funsters, that the charge controller should be as close to the battery as possible to prevent voltage drop, I find the cable length on my Imala 734 to be 3m ish, down the wall across the underside of the van and into the battery compartment.

In fact the fuseboard and electric panel are all on the rhs of the van and the leisure battery is placed on the underseat on lhs where the electric switch for the step is, surely it would make more sense for the batteries to be on the RHS directly under the sloar controller and sergent panel.
Unless the reason is the leisure battery is located to be nearer to the cab battery which is under the passenger footwell, 1 m away.

Im thinking of moving the leisure battery when my new Lithium arrive, any other Imala/autotrail owners have the same issue, and did you change the battery location for similar reasons.
Just seems to make more sense to sit them under the solar controller rather than move the controller all that way when the sergent panel is there also..

 

[68c]

Overlong cables are common in motorhomes, My Pilote has the leisure battery in an external locker next to the front passenger seat, the cable runs all the way back to the rear under the left of the van, with about a metre and a half coiled up in the space under the hab door step. Then it runs forward again to the under side setee stowage to the ELB, then back again and up in front of the hab door to the control panel before heading off to the various services. I rerouted it and had enough cable to double up the runs from the leisure batt to the EBL. Pilote just made one loom for whatever size van and coiled up the rest.

 

[Lenny HB]

Cable length does not matter proving the cable is of sufficient size so the volt drop is minimal, unfortunately no chance of that in a Brit built van, cables are always ridiculously undersized.

You could upgrade the cables and leave the battery where it is or move the battery, even moving the battery it will be well worth upgrading all the cabling to get the best out of the new battery as the cabling in your van will be well undersize.